Toni, the Peruvian minister who is essential in fighting the Covid-19 crisis

South America is one of the most dangerous regions in the world for women and has few public policies aimed at this segment of the population. Machismo is also clear in governments that, for the most part, have little female representation – in ministries of Jair Bolsonarofor example, there are only two women, Damares AlvesMinister of Women, Family and Human Rights, and Teresa Cristina, who heads the Agriculture portfolio. In this context, gained notoriety Maria Antoinette Alvajust 35 years old, who took over Ministry of Economy and Finance 🇧🇷MEF) of Peru in October 2019.

Alva is one of the strongest female names in South American politics today. Despite the fact that other Latin countries are experiencing a wave of young economy ministers – in Argentina, Martín Guzmán is 37 years old; Juan Ariel Jiménez, from the Dominican Republic, 35 years old; and Richard Martínez, from Ecuador, 39 years old – she is the only woman from the American continent to hold this position. Toni, as she was affectionately nicknamed, came to replace Carlos Oliva, 55 years old, and already a veteran. Currently, another seven women are ministers in Peru – high number compared to most American countries.

After years of dictatorships and power coups, Peru’s economy managed to consolidate and had been growing for about 20 years. However, as in all other countries, the pandemic has hit Peru’s economy hard, which expects a 9% drop in GDP this year. Many doubted Toni’s competence when she was appointed by the President Martin Vizcarra, but the minister is managing to contain the crisis and create measures to help the population. In addition, she won the sympathy of Peruvians due to her concern for ordinary citizens and small businesses.

Your story

María Antonieta Alva Luperdi was born in limein Peru, on March 7, 1985. She is the daughter of the engineer Jorge Elias Alva Hurtadowho is currently rector of the National University of Engineering, and Maria Antonieta Luperdi Brito🇧🇷 He grew up with two brothers and had a peaceful childhood and adolescence in a middle-class family. His interest in social agendas emerged in childhood, on the trips he made with his father through the interior of Peru to visit the works he coordinated.

In interviews, Toni says that she started accompanying him at the age of 5 and soon realized that her reality was very different from that of most children in those places she visited. The schools were more precarious, they didn’t have toys and some didn’t even have houses. This was the first contact the minister had with Peruvian social inequality.

At age 18, he entered the Universidad del Pacífico, a private university in Lima, to study Economic Sciences🇧🇷 During his college years, he approached university leaders and became president of the Academic Center. In addition, he helped found an interuniversity directory, which unites all faculties in Peru. After graduating, in 2008, he went on to Harvard University, in the USA, where he got a full scholarship to do his postgraduate studies in Public Administration and also spent a period in India with the international program Women and Public Policyfor women interested in public policy.

the beginning of the career

Back in Peru, Toni began to dedicate herself to the life of a civil servant. She first went through the MEF, where she was an assistant and analyst, followed by the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusionwhere he was also an analyst, and then to the Ministry of Education, where she was management coordinator. In 2017, she finally returned to the Ministry of Economy as General Director of Expenses. At the same time, she was also teaching at a business college.

With more than 10 years working in the government, in October Toni was invited by the current president to be the new Minister of Economy. Currently, the ruler has a good approval rating among Peruvians, but at the beginning of his term, in 2018, when he took office after the resignation of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, was widely criticized. The situation got worse with the choice of Toni for the MEF. A large part of the population believed that she was too young to hold such an important position – in addition, of course, to the rooted machismo that always places women as less capable.

Less than 6 months after taking office, Toni had to face one of the biggest crises in the country’s history. Peru added, this Thursday (28), 135,905 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 3,983 deaths, which makes it the second most infected country in Latin America, behind only Brazil. Despite having decreed quarantine in the country on March 15 – isolation must continue until at least June 30 – Peru has not been able to contain the contagion and today lives in a chaotic state, with almost all ICU beds occupied and very few respirators. available.

crisis control

It was in this context of crisis that Toni managed to stand out and gain the support of the Peruvian people. As the country has a rate of informal workers that reaches close to 80%, it was almost impossible for the people to maintain isolation and, thus, the transmission was out of control. With the economy getting worse and people going hungry, the minister had to take “extraordinary measures for an extraordinary situation”, as she said. So she organized one of the Latin America’s biggest economic stimulus packages, allocating USD 25 billion, equivalent to 12% of GDP, for economic aid to vulnerable families. Each family with unemployed or self-employed workers received around 760 soles, equivalent to almost 1,300 reais. So far, nearly 7 million households have benefited.

With a policy less oriented towards liberalism, as was common in recent governments, and a focus on the most needy, Toni has managed to become almost a Peruvian superstar and today receives a lot of affection from the population. In interviews, she explained that it was possible to create the great economic plan because Peru had large reserves at the Central Bank. “Reserves are made to be used in situations like these. I don’t mind using them, as long as I manage to help the population that needs it even more right now, ”she said in a statement.

Despite being an ambitious economic stimulus package, it is not perfect. The government has created ways to redeem the aid over the internet, but 38% of Peruvians do not have a bank account and therefore need to go in person to withdraw the money. This caused queues and crowds and, according to experts, may have accelerated the transmission of the virus.

Although she doesn’t speak directly about feminism, Toni shows an interest in the subject through her work and her special concern for families managed by women. Despite all the adversities and machismo she suffered, she managed to become the most popular minister in the Vizcarra government, with a 75% approval rating.

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